Wednesday, March 11, 2009

If you are wondering, What should I do with my life? - here is a thought to consider. If you agree with the "thesis" of this blog - that the purpose of life, as evidenced by the universe that God created, is for intelligent species to evolve to achieve some higher, as yet unknown goal - then anything you do to support the goals of God are good.

If you find this reasonable, then the purpose of your life becomes relatively simple. Take steps that support the progress of mankind. This may entail small steps, such as donating to medical research, or writing your congressman to put our limited resources toward scientific progress. Or volunteer to help teach kids to stay in school or stay out of trouble.

Larger steps would be choosing a career that moves humanity forward - becoming a computer engineer, or dedicating your future to design efficient energy or health care systems. Be a psychotherapist, who helps people solve their problems and become aware - conscious - of their own minds. Or start a foundation to postpone or cure the disease of aging...

Someone once said to me, "A million years from now, it won't matter what we do." I think it is quite the opposite - every appropriate step you take, no matter how small, will have profound benefits moving forward that will continue to improve the future. Each improvement in science, medicine, computers, electronics, psychology, and other fields of knowledge make us live longer, think better, and move us closer to an amazing human future. It is like putting $1 in the bank today, and then letting it grow with compounded interest. How much would it be worth in a million years?

The road toward this future is long and hard. There are no quick rewards, as we will only move forward after millions of people spend millions of hours taking each agonizing and increasingly complex step. It is very, very far away and you will see very little of the incredible human potential that is ahead. However, each step brings us closer, while each failure (war, anti-science, wasted energy, etc) pushes us in the wrong direction. I hope that you will consider my point of view, read my entire blog, and then join those of us who support human progress.